Early life

Muhammad al-Asi was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1951. At the age of 11 he moved from the United States to Lebanon. There, he completed high school and afterwards enrolled at the Arab University of Beirut, where he pursued advanced studies of the Arabic language.

In 1973, al-Asi returned to the United States and enrolled at the University of Maryland where he pursued a degree in Government and Politics. He graduated in 1979.

Al-Asi has been active in the international Islamist movement, especially through his involvement with the Crescent International news magazine. He frequently speaks at Islamic centers and universities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Al-Asi and the Islamic Center of Washington

Once the imam, always the imam, even if only on the sidewalk!

Muhammad al-Asi had formerly preached at the Islamic Center of Washington (ICW). Al-Asi was elected as the imam (prayer leader or preacher) of ICW in 1981. In March 1983, al-Asi was expelled from the center for preaching views that were deemed extremist. Although he still identifies himself as the Imam of ICW, the Center has rejected his claims and stated that it has no affiliation with him.[2]. He still holds Jumu'ahkhutbahs[3] every Friday on the sidewalk across from the Islamic Center.

In September 10, 2006, in an interview on Iranian Channel 2 (as translated by the MEMRI), Muhammad al-Asi stated that attacks of 9/11 were planned by the United State Government. Specifically, al-Asi stated that "The events of 9/11 were planned by the American administration, to be used as a pretext and justification to fight terrorism."[4]

Al-Asi had also stated in reference to the first Gulf War, "if Americans are placing their forces in the Persian Gulf, we should be creating another war front for the Americans in the Muslim world - specifically where American interests are concentrated."[4]

Al-Asi's opinion of Israel

In an undated article, entitled "The Qur'an says: Zionist Israel will be shattered," posted on the website Muslimedia.com, a publication of Crescent International, Muhammad al-Asi wrote that "the Israeli Zionists have convinced themselves that their presence in Palestine is permanent. They have even managed to deceive world public opinion into believing this myth. The brainwashing that has gone into this effort is phenomenal… To bolster their argument, they tell us indefatigably that the Jews are politically as strong as ever because they are in virtual command and control of the American and Russian administrations; not to mention their political and foreign policy clout in the European continent."[5]

Regarding the Israeli lobby, an article in the Arab American News quotes al-Asi as stating that "Very rarely we have American officials who can say no to the 700 pound gorilla on Capitol Hill that is the Israeli lobby. Many of us are wrong when we think that the U.S. government has the flexibility to adjust to the new reality. It doesn't have the flexibility when it has the toxins of the Israeli lobby in its bone marrow."[6]

Al-Asi's prediction of the destruction of the Jews

In an article posted on Muslimedia.ca, Muhammad al-Asi predicted the defeat of the Jews by Muslims, stating that "The Prophet of Allah, upon whom be peace, summed it up when he said: 'The final hour shall not commence until the Muslims engage Yahud [Jews] in warfare. And the Muslims will deal the deathblow to Yahud [Jews]. These Yahud [Jews] will hide behind timber and boulder that will call out on Muslims: 'O Muslim there is a Yahudi [Jew] in disguise, come and annihilate him.'" [5]

Video clips of al-Asi's speeches

"What was taken by force, can only be restored by force." --Gamal Abdel Nasser

The Investigative Project on Terrorism had posted a video clip of Muhammad al-Asi making the following statement at UC-Irvine on February 21, 2001:

Muhammad al-Asi: We have a psychosis in the Jewish community that is unable to co-exist equally and brotherly with other human beings. You can take a Jew out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the Jew, and this has been demonstrated time and time again in Occupied Palestine. And now they have American diplomats and politicians and decision makers and strategists in their pocket....[7]

The Investigative Project on Terrorism had posted another video clip from of a speech by al-Asi at UC-Irvine on May 15, 2002, in which he stated:

Muhammad al-Asi: If the only thing the Israelis and their mentors, and their sponsors, and their superiors in Washington, DC, are going to understand is the use of force, then that's the language we're going to communicate with, we're going to use force, and whatever was taken by force can only be retrieved by force.[8]

Al-Asi speeches at UC-Irvine

"Love is blind deaf dumb and stupid. If I ever find that little turd I'm gonna kill cupid once and for all."

The Investigative Project on Terrorism quotes al-Asi as giving the following speech to the Muslim Students Association at UC-Irvine on February 21, 2001:

Muhammad al-Asi: "You have the Jews who are blind and deaf and dumb, who cannot see the same forms of racism, or discrimination, of oppression that is institutionalized and implemented by one of their own; and that is the Israeli, Zionist government in Tel Aviv." [9]

The Investigative Project on Terrorism quotes al-Asi as giving the following speech during "Israel Awareness Week" at UC-Irvine on May 18, 2005:

Muhammad al-Asi: "It is about time we begin to open our eyes, see for ourselves and identify this cancerous presence of the Israeli interest that has taken over the American body politic."[10]"

Al-Asi and Shia Association of Bay Area

Muhammad al-Asi has also given radical political speeches at Shia Association of Bay Area (SABA), the extremist anti-Semitic Khomeinist organization based in San Jose, California. Al-Asi was the star guest at SABA's 2004 summer camp. The Islamist SABA leadership was impressed enough with his level of radicalism to subsequently invite him to attend SABA's Al-Hasnain Youth Conference as a guest speaker in 2004.

Notes and references

↑Hezbollah (Arabic: "حزب الله"; a.k.a. Hizbullah; a.k.a. Hizballah) is an international terrorist organization based in Lebanon. Hezbollah has operatives stationed throughout the world, including the United States and Europe. For more information, please see: What is Hezbollah?